Can-body-making machine.



W. E. TAYLOR. CAN BODY MAKING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION nun) T11R23, 1909.

1,002,339 Patented Sept. 5,1911.

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Adar/ 5y? W. B. TAYLOR. CAN BODY MAKING MAGHINE. APPLIOATION FILD r1113. 23, 1909.

Patented Sept; 5, 1911.

r Mk 2 GM. 11 w W. E. TAYLOR. CAN BODY MAKING momma APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 23, 1909. 1,002,339, Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

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COLUMBIA PLANOORIAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. u, c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. TAYLOR, OF EASTPORT, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CAN-B'ODY-MAKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

Application filed February 23, 1909. Serial No. 479,672.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing in Eastport, in the county of WVashington and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Can-Body-Making Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in can body making machines, and more particularly to means for producing the can body blanks and feeding or delivering them successively one by one to the body forming devices.

Heretofore in the manufacture of bodies for sardine or other cans, the blanks of which are extremely narrow, long and flimsy, (the blank for the body of the sardine I can being ordinarily about an inch in width by a foot or more in length), great difficulty is experienced in producing these long, narrow body blanks of uniform width without twisting or warping them more or less out of shape, and in feeding them one by one (unless feeding is done by hand), and in conveying them to the successively operating forming devices of the body making machine and in preventing the body machine from clogging; these difficulties resulting not only in the production of imperfect and irregular cans, but in also materially reducing the capacity of the machine and increasing the cost of manufacture of the cans.

The object of my invention is to overcome these difliculties or objections, and provide a simple and efficient means for producing sardine can body blanks of regular and uniform width without warping or twisting them out of shape and of automatically feeding them one by one to the conveyer of the body forming machine by which they are carried successively to the successive body forming devices of the can body machine.

My invention consists in the means I employ to practically accomplish this object or result. That is to say, it consists in connection with a can body forming mechanism having the customary body former horn and wings or devices for folding or forming the body around the horn, of a bumper and edgers or hook formers, if the body to be formed is of the lock seam instead of the lap seam type, and a body blank conveyer for advancing the blanks along from one forming device to another, of a gage for the lower edge of the sheet from which the blanks are to be cut arranged above and adjacent to the reciprocating bars of the blank conveyer, an upright guide for the sheet through which the sheet may feed down automatically by gravity against the gage, a stationary shear or knife and a movable shear or knife reciprocating under the sheet feed guide and stationary knife and operating to sever the body blank from the sheet and deliver the severed blank onto the reciprocating bars of the body blank conveyer.

It further consists in providing an opening at the lower end of the front face of the sheet guide, to cause the narrow strip of scrap left from. the final blank of the sheet to be discharged or delivered out of the way onto the upper face of the reciprocating knife, and thus from interfering with the continuous operation of the machine.

It further consists in providing the reciprocating shear or knife with movable fingers or holders adapted to lightly press against the sheet and prevent it tilting toward the reciprocating knife when all the blanks but one have been cut therefrom, and for the purpose of holding the sheet snugly against the outer face of the stationary knife.

It further consists in providing the reciprocating knife with a double inclined or double shear cutting edge so that the cutting operation of each blank from the sheet will be finished at or near the middle thereof to prevent the shears or knives from drawing the narrow blank more or less askew, as would be the case if the cutting operation were concluded at-one end of the blank.

It further consists in the novel construction of parts and devices and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown and described and more particularly specified in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation partly incentral, vertical longituwill drop or feed automatically down against the gage.

dinal section of a device embodying my invention, and showing that portion only of the body former mechanism to which my improvement particularly relates. is a front elevation, the body blank conveyer being shown in vertical section. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view showing the sheet guide and connecting mechanism and body and blank conveyer, and Fig. 4 is a detail end view of the horn and other parts. And Fig. 5 is a detail section on line 55 of Fig. 8. Fig. 6 is a detail front view showing the lower end of one of the front plates of the sheet guide.

In the drawing, A represents the frame of a can body making machine to which my invention is applied, B the body former horn, G the Wings or folding devices for folding or forming the body blank around the horn, D the bumper, E hook formers or edge folders, F notching devices for notching the body blank, G the body blank conveyer, preferably consisting of a plurality of reciprocating bars furnished with a series of spring held feed pawls g for engaging a plurality of blanks and advancing them successively to the different body forming devices, and sliding in suitable ways or guides 9 G shoes or pressure devices for holding the body blanks flat upon the conveyer bars G, and H the main can shaft of the machine by which, through suitable levers or connecting mechanism, motion is imparted to the several movable parts or devices of the machine. All these parts may be of any suitable or well known construction familiar to those skilled in the art, and need no further description.

M is an adjustable gage for the lower edge of the sheet X to rest upon, from which the body blanks w are to be cut. This gage preferably consists of two blocks, each furnished with a channeled upper face we, and adapted to be adjusted up and down by adjusting screws m The gage M is mounted on the frame of the machine above and adjacent to the blank conveyer bars G so that when a body blank has been cut from the lower portion of the sheet it may be automatically delivered by the reciprocating shear or knife onto the blank conveyer G of the body making mechanism.

N is an upright guide for the sheet X arranged above the gage M so that the sheet This sheet guide is preferably substantially vertical, or at least sufficiently near to vertical, to cause the sheet to slide or feed down by gravity and to be automatically delivered by the movable shear onto the body blank conveyer. The front plate a has a cut away or open portion a at its lower end to enable the narrow strip of scrap m which remains after the last blank is cut from the sheet to drop down or be dis- Fig. 2

charged upon the upper face of the reciprocating shear and thus prevent it from getting in the way.

0 is the upper and stationary shear or knife. It preferably has a straight cutting edge 0 and a flat beveled outer face 0 the cutting edge 0 being substantially flush with the rear face of the sheet guide N. The stationary knife 0 is removably secured to the frame member A of the machine by screws or bolts 0 P is the movable or reciprocating knife or shear. It has a double incline or shear cutting edge [9 so that the middle portion of the blank 00 will be severed last from the sheet X, and thus prevent any tendency for the blank to draw askew and be cut of uneven width. The movable reciprocating shear or knife P is removably secured to a reciprocating slide P mounted in suitable guides P on the frame of the machine and which is reciproeated in proper time for cooperative action with the blank conveyer G and the various body forming devices of the body forming machine by means of a cam 72. on the shaft H and arms h on rock shaft it having arms 71, connected by links it with the shear slide P The reciprocating shear P or its slide P is furnished with one or more, preferably two movable sheet holder fingers or devices 79 which are held in light frictional contact with the slide P or knife P by means of a light spring 72 These sheet holding fingers p serve to hold or press the sheet X against the outer face of the stationary knife 0, and also to prevent the sheet X from tilting outward or toward the reciprocating knife when all the blanks have been cut therefrom except the last one at which time the upper edge of the sheet has passed below the lower edge of the front plate a of the sheet guide N. The sheet presser or holder fingers 72 preferably consist of round rods upwardly bent and flattened at their ends to fit snugly against the under face of the reciprocating shear or knife P. After each cutting stroke of the reciprocating shear P when the shear returns to position for another stroke, the sheet holder fingers p are advanced to their normal position by a stop 72 against which the rear ends of the rods 79 strike.

The body blank conveyer G may be of any suitable kind or construction as before stated. It preferably consists of reciprocating bars and it is reciprocated in unison with the shear P by means of a cam h on the cam shaft H and suitable connecting levers and links 71, 7L7.

The shears operate to deliver the separate blanks one .by one to the conveyer in registered position to be properly engaged by the feed pawls or fingers of the conveyer, and always and positively with the same face uppermost, which is of great practical importance and advantage in the manufacture of sardine and other can bodies which are frequently made with a decorated outside face.

The sheet guide N has upright shoulders or guides 12 for the end edges of the sheet to abut against and thus to cause the severed blank to be delivered accurately in proper registry with the body blank conveyer, thus enabling it to be presented in proper position to the notching dies and edge folders of the can body machine. This is of great importance and advantage in practical operation as the body blanks of sardine can bodies are so extremely narrow and flimsy that they cannot be practically shifted endwise on the conveyer in order to bring them in the proper registry with the notching edging and other body forming devices of the machine.

I claim 1. In a can body machine, the combination with a can body forming mechanism having a body former horn and a body blank conveyer, of a sheet guide extending at an angle to said body blank conveyer, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet in cooperative relation with said body blank conveyer, and a pair of shears for severing the blanks from the sheet and automatically delivering them to said body blank conveyer, substantially as specified.

2. In a can body machine, the combination with a can body forming mechanism having a body former horn and a body blank conveyer, of a sheet guide extending at an angle to said body blank conveyer, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet in cooperative relation with said body blank conveyer, and a pair of shears for severing the blanks from the sheet and automatically delivering them to said body blank conveyer, one of said shears having a double inclined cutting edge, substantially as specified.

3. In a can body machine, the combination with a can body forming mechanism having. a body former horn and a body blank conveyer, of a sheet guide extending atan angle to said body blank conveyer, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet in cooperative relation with said body blank conveyer, and a pair of shears for severing the blanks from the sheet and automatically delivering them to said body blank conveyer, one of said shears having a double inclined cutting edge operating to sever the middle portion of the blank last from the sheet, substantially as specified.

4. In a can body machine, the combination with a can body forming mechanism having a body former horn and a body blank conveyer, of a sheet guide extending at an angle to said body blank conveyer, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet in cooperative relation with said body blank conveyer, and a pair of shears for severing the blanks from the sheet and automatically delivering them to said body blank conveyer, the front of said sheet guide having an opening at its lower end for discharge of the narrow strip of scrap upon the movable shear of the pair, substantially as specified.

5. In a can body machine, the combination with a can body forming mechanism having a body former horn and a body blank conveyer, of a sheet guide, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet in cooperative relation with said body blank conveyer, and

a pair of shears for severing the blanks from the sheet and automatically delivering them to said body blank conveyer, the front of said sheet guide having an opening at its lower end for discharge of the narrow strip of scrap upon the movable shear of the pair and the lowermost shear having on its under face a yielding sheet holder, substantially as specified.

6. In a can body machine, the combina tion with a can body forming mechanism having a body former horn and a body blank conveyer, of a sheet guide, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet in cooperative relation with said body blank conveyer, and a pair of shears for severing the blanks from the sheet and automatically delivering them to said body blank conveyer, the front of said sheet guide having an opening at its lower end for discharge of the narrow strip of scrap upon the movable shear of the pair and the lowermost shear having on its under face a yielding sheet holder, and means for returning said sheet holder to position after each cutting stroke, substantially as specified.

7. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a horizontally movable shear operating to sever body blanks from a sheet and to deliver them automatically one by one to said body blank conveyer, substantially as specified.

8. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a horizontally movable shear operating to sever body blanks from a sheet and to deliver them automatically one by one to said body blank conveyer, and a sheet guide extending at an angle to said body blank conveyer, substantially as specilied.

9. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a horizontally movable shear operating to sever body blanks from a sheet and to deliver them automatically one by one to said body blank conveyer, a sheet guide extending at an angle to said blank conveyer and a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, substantially as specified.

10. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a staedge adapted to cut the middle portion of a blank last from a sheet, substantially as specified.

12. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a movable shear operating to sever body blanks from a sheet and to deliver them automatically one byone to said body blank conveyer and means for delivering the narrow strip of scrap remaining from the last blank of the sheet out of the way onto said reciprocating shear, substantially as specified.

13. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a movable shear operating to sever the body blanks from a sheet and to deliver them automatically one by one to said body blank conveyer, and a sheet guide, said sheet guide being open in its front at its lower end for discharge of the scrap remaining from the last blank out of the way onto the reciprocating shear, substantially as specified.

14. In a can body machine, the combination with a body'blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a movable shear operating to sever the body blanks from a sheet and to deliver them automatically one by one to said body blank conveyer,'and a sheet guide, said sheet guide being'open in its front at its lower end for discharge of the scrap remaining from the last blank out of the way onto the reciprocating shear, and

said movable shear being provided with a sheet holder to press the sheet against the stationary knife and to prevent the sheet tilting when the last blank but one has been cut therefrom, substantially as specified.

15. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a horizontally movable shear operating to sever body blanks from aysheet and to deliver them automatically onezby one to said body blank conveyer, a sheet guide and a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, [and means for adjusting said gage for the lower end of the sheet, substantially as specified.

16. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a movable shear operating to sever body blanks from a sheet and to deliver them automatically one by one to said body blank conveyer, a sheet guide and a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, said gage having a channel in its upper face to receive the lower edge of the sheet, substantially as specified.

17. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a movable shear operating to sever body blanks from a sheet and to deliver them automatically one by one to said body blank conveyer a sheet guide and a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, said gage having a channel in its upper face to receive the lower edge of the sheet, said sheet guide being open in its front at its lower end for discharge of scrap onto the reciprocating shear, substantially as specified.

18. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a movable shear operating to sever body blanks from a sheet and to deliver them automatically one by one to said body blank conveyer, a sheet guide and a gage for the lower edge of the sheet,

said gage having a channel in its upper face to receive the lower edge of the sheet, said sheet guide being open in its front at its lower end for discharge of scrap onto the reciprocating shear, said movable shear having a yielding sheet holder, substantially as specified.

19. In a can body machine, the combination with a body blank conveyer, of a stationary shear and a movable shear operating to sever body blanks from a sheet and to deliver them automatically one by one to said body blank conveyer, a sheet guide and a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, said gage having a channel in its upper face to receive the lower edge of the sheet, said sheet guide being open in its front at its lower end for discharge of scrap onto the reciprocating shear, said movable shear having a yielding sheet holder, and a stop for returning said yielding sheet holder to position, substantially as specified.

20. In a can body machine, the combination with a body former horn, of a body blank conveyer, a sheet guide, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet having a shoulder on its upper face, a stationary shear, a reciprocating shear having a double shear cutting edge to cause the middle portion of the blank to be severed last, substantially as specified.

21. The combination with a sheet guide, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, a stationary shear having a straight cutting edge and a horizontally reciprocating shear having a double shear cutting edge to cause the middle portion of the blank to be severed last from the sheet, and a horizontally reciprocating conveyer to which the blanks are delivered one by one by said reciprocating shear as it is severed from the sheet substantially as specified.

22. The combination with an upright sheet guide, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, a stationary shear and a horizontally reciprocating shear, and a horizontally reciprocating conveyer to which the blanks are delivered one by one by said reciprocating shear as it is severed from the sheet, substantially as specified.

23. The combination with an upright.

sheet guide, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, a stationary shear and a reciprocating shear, said sheet guide having a front With an opening at its lower edge for discharge of the narrow strip of scrap onto the reciprocating knife, substantially as specified.

24:. The combination with an upright sheet guide, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, a stationary shear and a reciprocating shear, said reciprocating shear having a yielding holder to engage the sheet in advance of its cutting edge, substantially as specified.

25. The combination with a sheet guide through which the sheet may feed by gravity, a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, a pair of shears for severing the gaged blank from the sheet and a horizontally reciprocating conveyer to which the severed blanks are delivered one by one in registered position therewith.

26. The combination with a sheet guide adapted to let the sheet feed by gravity of a gage for the lower edge of the sheet, a pair of shears for severing the gaged blanks from the sheet, a horizontally reciprocating blank conveyer and a means for causing the blanks to be delivered to said conveyer by said shears positively with same face uppermost.

WILLIAM E. TAYLOR. Witnesses:

EDMUND ADoooK, GEORGE W. WEBER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

